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Prince Charles has admitted he smoked behind a chicken coop when he was a schoolboy.

Chatting to a group of respiratory nurses during a reception at Clarence House for nominees of the Nursing Times awards, the Prince of Wales said he had quit smoking at the age of 11.

Nurse and secondary school teacher Paul Watson, 39, from Peterborough, said: "There was a few of us that are respiratory nurses and he asked whether we deal with a lot of smokers.

"He said 'I gave up at 11 when I had a few cigarettes behind a chicken coop'.

"I believe it was tongue in cheek."

If it happened, the rebellious act may have had a lasting impact on the 64-year-old as he grew up to be an avid anti-smoker, having previously had to lecture his sons and wife Camilla over smoking.

Prince William was believed to have briefly picked up the habit in his late teens, while the Duchess of Cornwall used to smoke regularly.

Prince Harry was packed off to a rehab centre for a day visit by his dad after admitting he smoked cannabis when he was just 17.

Earlier on Wednesday, Charles hailed the dedication and hard work of the nation's nurses, saying they give "exceptional care" to patients across the country.

Writing in the Nursing Times ahead of the magazine's awards ceremony tonight, he said he believed nurses' care and kindness was "vital" and stressed the importance of a holistic approach to those who are sick.

Charles, who is patron of more than 30 healthcare organisations, said his visits to hospitals over the past 40 years had shown him just how pivotal a role nurses play.

He wrote: "In all these instances, together with many others, it was abundantly clear to me just how important the emotional connection between patients and skilled, hardworking nurses actually was.

"In general, quite apart from the medical expertise that nursing staff provide on a daily and nightly basis, the reassurance and simple human kindness that they can also dispense is, I believe, vital and must surely impact positively on the recovery of individuals.

"Human kindness, reassurance and sympathy are age-old qualities, yet they are as important today as they have ever been.

"The Nursing Times Awards recognise this, as well as the importance of a holistic approach - treating the whole person, rather than just the symptoms of disease.

"When this approach is combined with the best of conventional medicine, and adopted by the whole healthcare team, with scrupulous attention to every aspect of the patient's personal, medical and nursing needs, great progress can be made."

NHS England's chief nursing officer, Jane Cummings, and Dr Peter Carter, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, welcomed the Prince's support of nurses.

Ms Cummings said: "I have just been talking to the nurses that have been shortlisted and they are just overwhelmed that someone is actually recognising the good work that they are doing.